I always find it interesting when coincidences keep popping up in a project. First, I suddenly decided that NOW was the time to sew up this cool panel denim fabric from Marcy Tilton.  I’m not the only one who pulled this from their stash this month. Marcy sent an email picturing a short jacket the day after I wore mine for the first time. The second coincidence is the other sewer also decided on black sleeves. I was also going to make mine in black denim, but couldn’t find the right fabric.

Third, I looked through my patterns and settled on the perfect pattern, Vogue 1356. While researching this pattern on Pattern Review I discovered Shams had made this same pattern a few years ago with a similar panel fabric. The good news is her project looked fantastic, but the bad news is that this pattern needed 4 yards of fabric because of 2-piece bias cut sleeves. The long straight coat is a favorite profile and I discovered no less than 5 similar patterns in my library! I finally choose a 1997 jacket pattern, McCall’s 8681 because it has optional darts and they always help with the fit on my body type.

I altered the pattern quite a bit. It was an old pattern calling for shoulder pads. While a light shoulder pad could still be added, I took them out and then needed to adjust the shoulder and sleeve to accommodate a more natural shoulder. 8” was needed in length to make the jacket more like the original pattern Vogue 1356 and allow me to use the full length of the print. In addition, my BSF insisted (and was totally right) that the collar was too plain. I cut a V-neck and added a collar like the bomber jacket I made last year. That decision led to a zipper closure, which is a cool look for a biker print. Of course then I needed zipper pockets to match!